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Triton Initiative
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Alicia Amerson
The aim of the Triton Initiative is to reduce the overall costs and increase the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring at MHK installations. This is achieved by: 1) supporting research and development to improve the technical performance of environmental monitoring devices (Funding Opportunity Awardee (FOA Support)2) improving the quality and relevance of the data collected by such devices (Fish Mesocosm Studies); and 3) standardizing monitoring technologies and data streams to improve comparability and between-project data transferability (Triton Field Trials – TFIT). This streamlines the evaluation processes required for MHK developments by targeting key environmental issues and establishing efficient ways to measure and monitor the environment and devices. Ultimately, these activities will accelerate the permitting process, which benefits regulators, developers and ocean users, and will reduce the cost of marine renewable energy.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
TSDat: An open_source Data Standardization Framework for Marine Energy and Beyond
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Rebecca Fao
- Frederick Driscoll
Many organizations are tasked with the collection and processing of large quantities of data from various measurement devices. Data reported from these sources are often not interoperable with datasets and software used by analysts and other organizations in the same domain, introducing barriers for collaboration on large-scale projects. This poses a particular problem for cross-device comparisons and machine learning applications, which rely on large quantities of data from multiple sources. To address these challenges, the open-source Time-Series Data Pipelines (Tsdat) Python framework was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with strategic guidance and direction provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories to facilitate collaboration and accelerate advancements in the marine energy domain through the development of an open-source ecosystem of tools. This paper will describe the Tsdat framework and the data standards within which it operates. A beta version of Tsdat has been released and is being used by several projects in marine energy, wind energy, and building energy systems. Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Marine Energy
U.S. TEAMER Support
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Nicole Sather, PNNL
- Jesse Roberts, SNL
The U.S. Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program provides access to MHK testing facilities, as well as expertise to increase rigor and standardize data collection, and allow for transparent analysis and comparison of performance. PNNL's role (along with NREL and Sandia) is to provide input into the strategic vision of TEAMER, serve on the Technical Board for test participant selections, provide access to test facilities and environmental permits (as needed), provide expert testing assistance and training during testing, develop standardized protocols for data collection and testing (in coordination with Network Director) to be provided and adhered to by test participants, consult and utilize international standards as appropriate, provide numerical modeling and engineering expertise to participants, and provide routine feedback to U.S. TEAMER Management Team for how the program is working and opportunities for improvement
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability, Technology
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2025
- Conventional Hydro
Ultrasonic Transducer Field Test for Quagga Mussel Settlement Control
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Shane Mower
The goal of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of ultrasound waves for the prevention of invasive mussel settlement on critical submerged hydropower and water delivery structures and equipment in order to prevent issues associated with flow restriction. Ultrasound waves are not likely to directly kill mussel veligers, but they may reduce food availability for mussels preventing growth and survival. An ultrasound transducer produced for algae control will be tested at Lake Powell, AZ. Mussel settlement and biofouling reduction will first be assessed on settlement plates and if found to be effective will be tested on submerged structures in the forebay at Glen Canyon Dam.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Understanding Greenhouse Gas Emissions from US Hydropower Reservoirs
Lead Companies
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Lead Researcher (s)
- Natalie Griffiths (griffithsna@ornl.gov)
Accurate quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes is paramount for the hydropower industry as GHG emissions may be considered when evaluating hydropower's status as a form of renewable energy. However, estimates of GHG emissions from all reservoirs (including hydropower) are highly uncertain, with global estimates varying over an order of magnitude (St. Louis et al. 2000, Deemer et al. 2016, Prairie et al. 2018). Characterizing uncertainty of methane (CH4) emissions from reservoirs has been identified by WPTO as an important first step in identifying and mitigating risk from high-emitting reservoirs. This project will utilize a coupled modeling-measurement approach to reduce uncertainty in GHG emission estimates, particularly CH4, both within individual hydropower reservoirs and across reservoirs in the U.S. Development and validation of novel, in-situ GHG measurement technologies combined with comprehensive, statistically based monitoring designs informed by GHG emission models will be critical components of this project.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Conventional Hydro
Understanding Operational Flexibility in the Federal Columbia River Power System
Lead Companies
University of Washington
Lead Researcher (s)
- Karen Studarus
Operational flexibility describes a power system’s ability to respond with controllable real power resources to rapid changes in power balance error. For balancing areas with high penetrations of stochastic generation, these changes can be large enough to cause operating problems. We create the tools to quantify and intuitively explore operational flexibility in any power system and apply those tools to analyze the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). We chose the FCRPS because it is a large system with complicated constraints, and because conflicting demands on operational flexibility have become a regional public issue. We inventory system obligations, map all obligations and forecasts to constraints in the form of power (MW) vs. time, create data structures and an algebra for unifying these time series, and assemble an original metric of operational flexibility. The metric quantifies a common but vague concept of flexibility, intuitively characterizes a power system, and yields actionable intelligence that dovetails with existing deterministic indicators of system state. The resulting information-dense summary can improve schedule quality both as a visualization tool for human schedulers and as a versatile formulation for dispatch algorithms.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Renewable Integration
Status
complete
Completion Date
2014
- Conventional Hydro
Understanding the Incident Command System – Guidance to Dam Owners/Operators
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0243
This document introduces dam owners to the Incident Command System (ICS), which they may find themselves working in during an emergency. Understanding the reasoning and function of ICS will increase a dam owner’s efficiency and effectiveness when working with emergency responders.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Dam or Weir
Research Sub-Category
Dam Safety
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Update to Mechanical Overhaul Guide for Hydroelectric Turbine Generators
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0354B
To provide updates to the previously published CEATI report Mechanical Overhaul Guide for Hydroelectric Turbines which provides guidance on the mechanical refurbishment of hydroelectric turbine generators.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Turbine
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2020
- Conventional Hydro
Use of Novel Parasites to Control Naive North American Dreissenid Populations
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jacque Keele
In this project, populations of North American quagga and zebra mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis and D. polymorpha) are being evaluated in the laboratory for their "naïveté" to closely related parasites that normally infect only "cousin" Dreissena spp. -- dreissenid species whose evolution diverged from zebra and quagga mussels millions of years ago. Such isolated "cousin" dreissenid species are present in the Europe and Asia (e.g., D. caputlacus, D. anatolica, D. blanci, and D. carinata). Since North American populations of zebra and quagga mussels have not encountered these European/Asian parasites before, infection may prove lethal. Our goal is to identify these parasites, evaluate them, and one day have a new and novel biocontrol agent for quagga and zebra mussels. This project has several parts. First, traveling throughout Europe and Asia to collect and look for parasites in isolated populations of "cousin" dreissenid species. Once these parasites are collected they will be identified by both morphology and molecular methods to determine if they are new or novel. Once a novel parasite is identified the next step will involve investigating the parasites life cycle, and to start to evaluate if the parasite would be a candidate for infecting quagga and zebra mussels. The final step will be to expose naïve quagga or zebra mussels to the parasite and determine the impact that the parasite has on the mussels. This is a multiyear research project that could have a great payoff if a hypervirulent parasite to quagga and zebra mussels is identified.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org